Fort Sands was built by Union forces to protect the L&N Railroad trestle rising 90 ft. over Sulfur Fork. The bridge was captured and burned by Gen. Morgan on December 28, 1862. After Morgan�s destruction, rebuilding of the 500 ft. long bridge was completed by February 1, 1863. From January through August of 1863, the 50th and 113th Ohio Regiments worked on the earthen fortress and equipped it with a 12 lb. model 1857 Napoleon cannon and a 6 lb. model 1841 Smooth Lure cannon to defend the vast bridge span. Along with other regiments from Ohio and Illinois, they safeguarded the railroad for the duration of the war. This fort was named for Alexander Sands, the U.S. Marshall of southern Ohio